Cross, who has worked in the direct support industry off and on since the 1980s, said he has encountered workers who did not know how to cook or safely handle food.

He said that the inadequate training offered to some direct support workers — who often make little more than minimum wage — contributes to incidents of abuse and neglect.

He said he has lobbied in the past to have direct support professionals included in state law as mandated reporters and helped prompt a 2005 state audit that showed the Department of Mental Health did not adequately investigate or track incidents of abuse.

Cross’ current proposal would have required direct support workers to obtain city licenses and complete an online training program and a food safety course, among other things.

In a letter dated Tuesday, City Attorney Dan Wichmer said it would not be proper for the city to adopt its own requirements for direct support professionals, who already are regulated by state law.

“To the extent that you believe that additional rules or regulations governing the hiring, training and oversight of Direct Support providers is required, you should address your concerns to the Missouri General Assembly,” Wichmer wrote.

(Page 2 of 3)

Cross, who said he has “struck out” repeatedly when presenting his ideas to state officials, was convinced by Wichmer’s letter that meeting with the mayor’s commission would be a waste of time.

“He was sending a very loud message this would not be pursued, so it was pointless to even go,” Cross said, adding that he thinks Wichmer’s “legal opinion is wrong.”

Cross said he thinks the letter indicates City Council made up its mind about the issue “behind closed doors.”

City Clerk Brenda Cirtin said that council has had no meetings, open or closed, regarding Cross’ proposal. Wichmer said he was asked by Mayor Bob Stephens to review Cross’ proposal and issue a response.

"Heart in right place"

Despite his decision not to attend, Cross’ proposal still generated considerable discussion Wednesday night. Members of the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights devoted more than an hour to the proposal, which members described as flawed but not without merit.

“I think Mr. Cross’ heart is in the right place ... he makes valid points,” said commission member Johnnie Duckett, while describing Cross’ combative approach as “frustrating.”

“He carries a torch with him and is very good about burning his bridges,” added commission member Dan Scott. “In my opinion he has made a poor decision taking an adversarial approach.”

Scott said he thinks a local license system “is impractical,” but he wasn’t convinced that it would be illegal, as Wichmer argued. Still, “the fact that the city is able to do it doesn’t mean they should.”

Scott said he doesn’t think the commission or the city would be qualified to set standards for direct support workers, although he liked Cross’ proposal for creating a committee of local stakeholders to review and develop training.

“To me, that is a great thing to do.... Let’s get the stakeholders together,” he said.

(Page 3 of 3)

Cross, who is the court-appointed guardian of a state prisoner with developmental disabilities, also had proposed requiring training about the rights and responsibilities of legal guardians.

Commission chair Kelly Johnson, who is a guardian for her brother, said that struck a personal chord.

“The guardianship thing is daunting, and there’s no training,” Johnson said, adding that she struggled with the idea of making it mandatory. “But I see where (Cross) is coming from.”

She said she also thinks “there’s a good deal of merit to the idea” of requiring food service training. “It just comes down to implementation.”

Although commissioners ultimately decided to table Cross’ proposal, Johnson said she would like to revisit several of the ideas in the future.

Told of the commissioners’ comments Thursday, Cross said he would be willing to meet in the future.

“If at any point they want to have a constructive conversation about these issues with me, I’m all for it,” he said.

“I just want the issues to be addressed and solved in an appropriate matter.”